Fredrikstad – Sarpsborg 08

A playoff match like this is nerve-wrecking under the best of circumstances, but for Fredrikstad the mere possibility of being sent down to the Adeccoliga by local rivals Sarprsborg must be harrowing. Having finished runners-up in the Tippeliga last season everything has gone very pear-shaped indeed for FFK this time around, and if it hadn’t been for the late Tom Nordlie-fuelled revival they probably would have gotten relegated outright.

Last season Fredrikstad had an uncanny ability to turn tight games in their favor, but until Nordlie’s arrival their 2009-campaign was a story of the complete opposite happening, over and over again. There are plenty of quality players in their squad, Costa Rican midfielder Celso Borges for one is a player who won’t be playing in Norway for long, and with Tom Nordlie giving the team energy and a sense of urgency that was lacking earlier FFK are overwhelming favorites to get through book their place in the 2010 Tippeliga.

They’ll be forced to walk a very tight rope though, as local rivals Sarpsborg 08 will be doing absolutely everything in their power to get one over their more glamorous neighbors. At least four of Sarpsborg’s regular starters are former Fredrikstad players and defender Alexander Forsberg is even the son of one of Fredrikstad’s financial backers. This is little brother versus big brother, and even though big brother is a better team by a considerable margin a minor slip-up could be enough to doom them to Adeccoliga-ootball and eternal humiliation for their fans.

Home win

Kongsvinger – Sogndal

From 1983 to 1999 Kongsvinger payed their football at the highest level of Norweigan football, but their relegation in 99 signaled the start of a very meagre decade. But since Tom Nordlie rocked up at the club last season when they were heading for relegation to the obscure 2. division things have been looking up. He saved them from relegation and had them on course for at least a playoff-spot when Fredrikstad prized him away, and they managed to hang on to that spot in the closing stages of the season. If they do manage to beat Sogndal they’ll most likely come up against the man who dragged them out of the mud and into this playoff in the first place, which would of course add a new dimension to the whole thing.

Sogndal also have a solid Tippeliga-history, though they’ve been a bit of a bungee-team – moving between the Tippeliga and the Adeccoliga with alarming frequency. As a club they’re probably best known for their so-bad-it’s-brilliant supporter-song, “Stao no pao”, and for being the club that gave the world Jostein Flo, Tore Andre Flo, Håvard Flo and indeed Jarle Flo. These have all retired now of course, but have no fear, both Ulrik and Per Egil Flo are Sogndal-regulars so the next Flo-generation are well on their way.

With a superb home-record (13-0-2) this season you would expect Kongsvinger to book a thrilling showdown with their former manager, but Sogndal are a jammy bunch who have only lost once away from home all year so it could be very very tight. Extra time and penalties seems a very real possibility.

Home win

HamKam have had an unexpectedly tricky start to their quest for promotion, but Tromsdalen didn’t prove much of an obstacle as Arne Erlandsen’s men defeated the Northerners 3-0. The unlikely frontrunner in the league, NIL-Trysil, are still hanging on up there at the top of the table in spite of only drawing 2-2 with newly promoted Stavanger.

Tom Nordlie’s Kongsviner haven gotten off to a promising start and are now second, after beating Alta 3-2 away from home, the only away-win of the round. Early days yet but Haugesund also look very much like fulfilling their potential as promotion-candidates, they beat Skeid 1-0 and now sit third in the league.

Løv-Ham picked up their first win of the season as they beat Sogndal 3-1, while Hønefoss defeated Sarpsborg 08 with the same scoreline.

It’s deja-vu all over again as Bryne‘s terrible start to the season continues, they threw away an early lead and lost an eminently winnable away-game against Mjøndalen 2-1. Lastly, Moss secured a crafty 1-0 win over Notodden.

It’s all a bit random so far isn’t it?

Detailed league standings here.

Yes, because in the result of the round, if not the season, everyone’s favorite Northern minnows Alta shrugged off their 7-0 televised tonking at the hands of HamKam last week and went away to much-fancied Moss and gave them, to quote the man, “one hell of a beating” (the utter lack of famous people hailing from Moss makes it impossible to copy the rest of Lillelien’s legendary rant) . 0-5 was the score there, a scoreline that baffled an entire nation. 

And in another terribly interesting result.. NIL-Trysil baby! The artists formerly known as Nybergsund hosted Haugesund, another team fancied to have a go at promotion this year, and sent them back to the West coast with a 2-1 defeat in the bag. NIL-Trysil, who NFN for no discernable reason backed for success this season, are now top of the league. Just sayin’. 

Skeid were somewhat perplexingly top of the league before the weekend, but they’ve were pipped off their perch by drawing 0-0 with Sarpsborg 08. It was a big day for Northern minnows overall, as Tromsdalen also secured three points, beating Stavanger 2-0 at home to take them to a magnificent third in the table. 

Tom Nordlie’s Kongsvinger had no trouble getting past Løv-Ham, the tiny team from Bergen has had a disappointing start to the season and lost again there, 3-1. Like last season, Bryne find themselves in the relegation-zone early on after drawing 1-1 with Hønefoss. Lastly, Notodden were helt to a 1-1 draw by Mjøndalen.

Oh yes, in Tuesday’s rather randomly televised encounter between HamKam and Alta the boys from Briskeby inflicted some serious damage. 7-0 was the final score in a match that was more one-sided than a see-saw with a badger on one end and Raymond Kvisvik on the other.

The Southern whale in question is of course manager Tom “Keiko” Nordlie, whose team Kongsvinger were well and truly rogered by an impressive-looking Haugesund-side. 4-1 the score there. 

There were a few exepcted maulings that failed to materialize though, Stavanger have been predicted to have a really rather bad time of it in this league and against promotion-candidates Moss you’d expect them to bend over, but not so: A spirited 2-2 draw at home in Stavanger surprised qutie a lot of people. Similar story with Mjøndalen who hosted Sogndal, a 0-0 draw the outcome there.

The artists formerly known as Nybergsund, NIL-Trysil, made it two wins in two with an impressive 1-2 away win at Hønefoss (take that, haterz!!1one!), while the other Northern minnows Tromsdalen picked up a very handy away triumph as well, beating Løv-Ham 0-1 in Bergen.

Notodden had a productive road-trip, they went to Sarpsborg and returned home with all three points having beaten Sarprsborg 08 with a 1-2 scoreline. Lastly, Skeid quite bizarrely find themselves top of the table for a week after beating Bryne 1-0 at home.

The second tier of Norwegian football is rather less glamorous and appealing than the fabulous Tippeliga, but in terms of excitement and competitiveness it frequently delivers. The 2009-edition of the Adeccoliga got off to an interesting start this weekend, with newly demoted HamKam losing to Tom “Keiko” Nordlie’s Kongsvinger. Having been thoroughly relegated from the Tippeliga last term HamKam are nevertheless favorites to go straight back up again, and while Kongsvinger are very much dark horses in this competition this result is a significant blow to the boys from Briskeby. 

Another pre-season favorite for promotion, Moss, got of to a better start altogether as they beat Løv-Ham 2-1. Haugesund have been amongst the very few teams to show some ambition in the transfer-market this winter, but they could only come away with a 2-2 draw from their tricky opening game away to Tromsdalen. 

Newly promoted Skeid got off to a surprisingly good start by beating Notodden 3-0 away from home, a result that on paper doesn’t make a whole lot of sense as Notodden were quite handy last season. NIL-Trysil could possibly be amongst the teams gunning for promotion this season, and they got off to a good start against Mjøndalen, recording a comfortable 1-0 win.

After a disastrous 2008 campaign and a winter of discontent, Bryne got off to an uninspiring start with a 0-0 home draw with Sarpsborg 08. Everyone’s favorite Northern minnows Alta on the other hand would give an arm and a leg for an uninspiring 0-0 draw: They somehow contrived to lose 3-1 at home against newly promoted Stavanger.

Sogndal face Hønefoss tonight in a fixture that for reasons passing understanding is being televised. 

There was no proper preview coverage of this league, but here are some spectacularly half-assed predictions:

HamKam will get promoted. Moss, NIL-Trysil and Sogndal will battle for the second automatic promotion spot, along with possibly Kongsvinger and Haugesund. Notodden, Skeid, Bryne, Sarpsborg 08, Løv-Ham and Hønefoss will all faff about in mid-table seemingly without point or purpose, while Alta, Mjøndalen, Tromsdalen, Stavanger will all get relegated.

Discuss.